To quote my West Linn (Oregon) friend, classical guitarist/educator Peter Zisa: “History reminds us that many of the world’s greatest thinkers—Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Einstein, and others—were also musicians. Music cultivates creativity, discipline and imagination, qualities that enrich every field of study and strengthen community bonds.” So keep playing! Learn new tunes and arrangements. Share your accomplishments with others. Studies have shown that playing music involves 90% of your brain! Music participation enhances brain health and, no doubt, is good for our souls.
This is always a fully attended, cozy gig at a private home up, the street from the Pacific Ocean!
No one plays perfectly all of the time of course (except Segovia, and he’s gone…), but you can attain a very high level of consistency through proper and plentiful repetition.
By Mark Hanson January 8, 2025 Fingerstyle improvisation is a multi-faceted undertaking. Improvising on a wind instrument (saxophone for instance) requires you to play a new melody, one note at a time. In fingerstyle guitar, you need to do that plus keep the chord and rhythm going underneath. It’s a workout for the brain! A way to get started: First, memorize the chord progression of the tune you want to use. Do this by writing (by hand!) a chord chart of the tune. Early on I discovered that writing by hand has a special connection to the brain; plus you […]
Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop by three award-winning masters: Mark Hanson, Terry Robb and Doug Smith!
Mark & Greta bring their fun vocals. guitars & uke show to this lovely north central Washington town in the Cascade Mountain range. Guitar workshop precedes it at 4:00 p.m.
Mark Hanson & Greta Pedersen bring their luscious tones to TIMBRE, FOLK & BAROQUE in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 3, at 7:00 p.m. High-spirited and fun music of guitars, ukes and vocals from a Grammy winner and a National Artist of the Year!
In the acoustic guitar world — outside of jazz and strict classical — we seldom use certain parts of the “Circle of Fifths.” We prefer to stick to the half of the Circle that uses open strings. Hence my “Semi-Circle of Fifths” term.
The term “Pull-Off” is a Misnomer!
Mark Hanson presents his “Fingerstyle Guitar — Through the Ages” workshop. Tab handouts included!
